Cherished daughter Anna Henderson-Bentley was given a loving home and a lifetime of happiness from her doting mum who adopted her at birth.

But the callous woman repaid her mother's dutiful care by swindling her out of &#xA3;80,000 and dumping the mentally ill pensioner alone in her home.

Three-times married Anna, who also uses the name Telfer, took the cash from her doting mum Hildegard after she became ravaged by Alzheimer's.

The 36 -year-old took out a &#xA3;38,000 second mortgage on her sick mother's house in Wooler, Northumberland, without telling her and left her without any help.

It was only when bank officials started querying why she had not been making repayments on the cottage in the beautiful village that friends realised something was up and contacted the police.

Investigating officers said they were sickened by Henderson-Bentley's behaviour and branded the case was "disgraceful".

After investigating a series of accounts they found that the money-grabbing adopted daughter had siphoned off &#xA3;32,000 in insurance bonds, another &#xA3;10,000 in a building society account and &#xA3;4,300 worth of Halifax shares.

She is thought to have used the cash as a deposit on a house, as well as for flying lessons.

Henderson-Bentley pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown to four counts of theft and was due to be sentenced today.

DC Frank Nesbitt, who has been involved in the investigation, said: "This was a disgraceful case and shows how society today treats the elderly.

"She fleeced her own mother of all this cash and then dumped her.

"If it had not been for friends of Hildegard then Social Services would have been left to pick up the pieces."

Henderson-Bentley had been adopted as a baby by German born Hildegard and Merchant Seaman husband Jim in 1965.

Police say that while she was growing-up in London she never wanted for anything.

She was given elocution lessons, dance classes and as a talented seamstress her mother was constantly making her new clothes.

When her adopted father died in the late 1980s she insisted her mother move to Northumberland to live next to his sister.

However by 1998 her mother had become very ill and she used this to gain control over the estate by using a Power of Attorney.

This is designed to give people who have failing health financial protection but police say that Henderson-Bentley completely disregarded her mothers' rights.

Alan Livingstone, the solicitor representing Hildegard, said: "This was a very rare and horrific example of how Power of Attorney can be abused.

"The daughter had no regard whatsoever for her mother and we have only now managed to negotiate a settlement with the banks to save Hildegard's house."